


Thanks for keeping me (on my toes)

by FaintlyMacabre



Category: The Strange Case of Starship Iris (Podcast)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Chases, Fluff, Other, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, you know for flavor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:01:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21828634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaintlyMacabre/pseuds/FaintlyMacabre
Summary: Five times Krejjh surprised Brian, and one time Brian surprised Krejjh.
Relationships: Brian Jeeter/Krejjh
Comments: 12
Kudos: 60
Collections: Yuletide 2019





	Thanks for keeping me (on my toes)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gamerfic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gamerfic/gifts).



> Happy Yuletide, gamerfic!

1.

The Dwarnian hopped off the gangplank and made a beeline for Brian. _Do I know this person?_ Brian thought. From the look on their face, they knew him, and they were glad he was here. That was something anyway. Unless they were from the mafia, then they could be happy to see him for a reason that would make him decidedly unhappy. But maybe they were just reacting to the “Translator for hire” sign he was holding over his head. Oh well, at this point, if he ran he’d be an easy shot, might as well see where this was going.

The greeting they gave him in Dwarnian was reserved for… loved ones. Not even family, a romantic partner. He’d dropped his arms to his sides when they got close enough to pull him into a hug and whisper in his ear, “I’ll pay whatever you want if you just pretend to be my significant other in front of those people.”

“Huh?” But they were already steering him away from the ship, arm around his shoulders. Before he knew it, Brian was putting his arm around their waist.

“I missed you so much!” they said loudly in Dwarnian. Quieter, they said, “Am I holding your shoulder too tight?”

“Uh, maybe just a little.”

Their grip loosened instantly. Brian felt less apprehensive, if not more enlightened.

“Where are we going?”

“Oh, I have no idea, I’ve never been here before.” The Dwarnian headbutted him gently. “Lead the way, I guess?”

“Sure,” Brian said. “Then will you tell me what’s going on?”

“If we lose ‘em, absolutely.” So Brian started toward one of the only restaurants on the satellite he could afford, arm around a complete stranger.

* * *

2.

"Thanks for that, back there." The stranger grinned across the table at Brian between grabbing more toppings to add to their stack of pancakes. "I'd been on that ship for a while, needed a way to get away from some of my fellow passengers who, uh, didn't want to get away from me."

"So that was just to shake your admirers?" Brian found himself smiling back despite (because of?) the oddness of the situation.

"Well, a couple admirers, and the admirers of those admirers." They took a bite of their unholy breakfast casserole, chewed and swallowed with apparent delight. "It's a little more dire than it sounds— things had gotten _tense_. I'm Krejjh. What's your name, my knight in shining denim?"

"I'm Brian, Brian Jeeter."

"It's very nice to meet you, Translator Jeeter," Krejjh said. "Seriously, thank you. If there's anything you need, say the word."

"Uh, well, I am still looking for work—"

"You're hired! I do actually need a translator— I know some Earth, but not as much as I need to."

"There is something else, actually." He wasn't sure if this was really an okay thing to ask someone he'd just met, but then again, he was pretty sure "pretend to be my significant other" was not a super normal thing to ask of a stranger, either. “You were probably in the war, right?”

Krejjh suddenly looked uncomfortable. “Uh, you sure you want to talk about that?”

“I mean, we don’t have to. Just trying to figure something out.”

“Should I ask?”

“I mean, it’s nothing mysterious,” Brian said, leaning toward them across the wobbly diner table.

“You sure?” Krejjh said. “’Cause I gotta say, you are _acting_ kind of mysterious.”

“Well, I was thinking,” Brian started, “and you can say no, but I figured since we’re already going to be hanging out a bunch— I mean, I’m not going to quit working as your translator so like, don’t even worry about that—”

“What’s that thing they say in Earth?” Krejjh said. “’Spit it up?’”

“'Out,'” Brian said, grinning. “But I get your point. Okay. Would you consider becoming my bodyguard? I—”

“Sure.”

“Wait, really? Just like that?”

Krejjh made a gesture that Brian recognized as the Dwarnian equivalent of a shrug. “Why not?”

“I mean, there are a few reasons you might want to say no.”

“Which are?”

“I need protection from the mob.”

Krejjh nodded and took another sip of coffee. “Which one?”

“Ivrijjleh.”

“What did you do?” Krejjh’s eyes narrowed. “Translator Jeeter, if you’re either royalty or a cop, legally you have to tell me.”

“No, nothing like that,” Brian said. “I… may have accidentally poached a major client from them.”

Krejjh raised their eyebrows. “Go oonnnn.”

“So, I’m in grad school? And that’s kind of expensive?”

“Human education bureaucracy,” Krejjh said, shaking their head. “I’ve heard.”

“Well, this translator thing, this is sort of a full-time side job, and it’s not super consistent—”

“So you took on the wrong client and made the wrong enemies?”

“That about sums it up, yeah.”

“So you need a strong, capable soldier type to keep the blood birds out of the vegetables?” Krejjh’s brow furrowed. “That’s probably one of those things that sounds funky when it’s not in Dwarnian, isn’t it?”

“Ha, kinda. But you’re not wrong.” Brian ran his thumb around the rim of his mug, trying not to fidget too much. “Like I said, don’t feel pressured to sign on, it’s a big ask.”

“Nah, sounds good to me.” Krejjh sounded just as calm as before.

“You sure?”

“You said you need a bodyguard, and you don’t seem like the paranoid type, so I figured there must be some kind of danger. Also, I still need a translator, and I’m not about to let you get shot while I’m standing right next to you.”

“They didn’t say they were going to shoot me so much as cut me into lots of pieces while I watched.”

“Yuck. Well, lucky for you, Lieuten— ah.” Krejjh looked uncomfortable, then shook it off. “Pilot Krejjh is on the case.”

* * *

3.

A warning shot broke through the peace of Saturday afternoon, followed by shouts of "Jeeter!" that would have been enough on their own to send Brian on a frantic dash as far away as he could get. He was out the door before he remembered to clue Krejjh in. "It's them, we gotta go."

“Your glasses!”

“No time, dude!” Brian took off running down the street and Krejjh followed, blaster out, keeping an eye on their surroundings. Behind them, the shouts and footsteps of the Ivrijjleh muscle sounded tinny and far away, but he knew better than to feel reassured by that.

“Translator Jeeter!” Brian almost tripped. He hadn’t noticed Krejjh drawing up beside him— man, they were quiet. And like, really in shape? They didn’t even seem winded. “Here!”

He held out his hand under theirs and there were his glasses. The exertion of the run couldn’t explain away the swooping feeling in his chest, not that he was trying to. He didn’t have any time to think about it, but there was just enough room in his brain at present to hold that information secure and comfortable.

“Thanks!” Brian put them on and instantly the world got a little easier to parse.

* * *

4.

“So, here we are. Home sweet home.” It was nearly identical to the room Brian had just vacated, except this one had patterned wallpaper. And it was a little emptier; with their resources pooled, they didn’t have to room with a stranger.

And it was sort of a joke, because there was nothing particularly sweet about this tiny one-room apartment, but also not, because honestly, Brian was exhausted. He felt so completely done with hopping from room to room, house to hotel to mobile home, in the name of safety. He wasn’t safe now, of course (and neither was Krejjh, by association, although they were fine— _more_ than fine with that), but it was nice to have a place. Nice that it was theirs.

He turned to Krejjh to say… something, he couldn’t remember later. Maybe it was What do you think? Or Which bunk do you want? Something unimportant, compared with Krejjh kissing him.

The way they kissed was… Brian felt strange describing a kiss as “jubilant,” but that’s the word that kept coming to mind. It must have only lasted a second or two before Krejjh stepped back, grinned, and exclaimed, “I claim the top bunk!”

Brian could swear he felt their lips on his for the rest of the day.

* * *

5.

“Hey, Translator Jeeter!” Krejjh didn’t yell, they were lying too low for yelling, but they definitely stage whispered it.

“Hey, dude,” Brian said, looking up from the hot plate. “Did you find any powdered chicken?”

“Not only did I find the powdered chicken, and or-e-gan-o—” Krejjh pronounced it carefully, before interrupting themselves: “Honestly, humans make some things so complicated, why not just call it _vrikath_ , it’s not that hard— no offense, Translator Jeeter.”

“None taken,” Brian said, smiling. “It’s definitely not the most intuitive language.”

“Anyway! Not only did I find the groceries, I found something else: a job!”

“Wow, that’s great, dude! Where is it? What are you going to be doing?”

“What are _we_ going to be doing, Translator Jeeter?” Krejjh’s eyes were bright and unblinking.

“Uh, what?”

“I got us jobs on a ship!” Krejjh practically bounded over to him, and he quickly turned down the hot plate before they took his hands and swung him around. “They needed a pilot! And when I told them I knew the best cook-slash-translator in Neu Zo, they offered us the jobs on the spot. Well, they offered me, for us. The captain seems super cool, and with everything going on here, it sounded like the perfect opportunity. Uh, I mean—” They seemed to sober up. “I did do it without checking with you, so if you don’t want to take it, I totally get it, and we won’t go.”

“No, I mean— that’s great! It’s a lot, sure, at once, and I definitely have some questions, but that was… really thoughtful. Thanks.”

“Of course,” Krejjh said, beaming again. “Always looking out for my favorite cook-slash-translator.”

Brian ducked his head as a silly grin spread over his face. “So, uh, first: what kind of ship?”

“Mmm, pretty small, looks like kind of a junker, but solid. Private operation, cargo haulers, mostly a little illegal.”

“Krejjh.” Brian tried to figure out how to phrase the next part, a question he hadn’t known he would have a few seconds ago. “Did you get us jobs as space pirates?”

“Kinda?” They didn’t seem bothered by the idea. “Technically? They’re not funded by a government, not exactly patriotic, but they mostly ship drugs, birth control, some luxury garbage— they’re not arms dealers, and they don’t steal.”

“So, space smugglers?”

“Yeah!”

“Okay.” Honestly, that didn’t sound too bad, but there was still one pretty major base to cover. “Last big question: did you tell them I’m a human?”

“You know, I don’t remember.”

“Oh, boy. Krejjh, I know we’re in Neu Zo, and I’m glad you’re cool with me— like, really, really glad, don’t misunderstand me— but a lot of Dwarnians might not actually want a surprise human on board their not entirely legal ship.”

“Oh, no, they’re humans. Did I not say that? Yeah, captain and first mate, just trying to round out their tiny smuggler crew for their tiny smuggler ship.”

“Oh! Oh. Okay, then.” Another question occurred to Brian, one that he didn’t really want to ask, but he knew he needed to. It would be irresponsible not to. “Krejjh, seriously, thank you. I still want to meet them, especially since they hired me sight unseen, but this sounds really good. But, I want you to know— I mean, I want to make sure you— I mean—”

“Spit it… out,” Krejjh said, raising their eyebrows in a silent question. Brian nodded, and they pumped their fist.

“You said if I didn’t want to go, we wouldn’t go,” Brian said, his heart pounding. “I don’t want you to feel like I’m deciding your life for you— if I didn’t want to take the job, and you did, you know you could just go without me, right?”

Krejjh looked completely puzzled. “Why would I want to do that?”

* * *

+1.

“Hey, Krejjh.”

Krejjh blinked and looked over at Brian. There was something weird about the way he said that— he said “Krejjh.” Usually he’d just call Krejjh “dude” when it was like this, just them hanging out. And usually that would sound like a complete sentence, just an expression of contentment that they were doing nothing, and they were doing it together. That had sounded like the beginning of a question.

“Yeees, Crewman Jeeter?” They were in open space; Krejjh could afford to look away from the viewscreen and focus on him.

“I’ve been thinking about something, for kind of a long time, and I couldn’t say anything about it because I didn’t really know I was thinking about it. I kind of just realized like, last night. And I couldn’t really say anything then because you were flying us through that tricky bit with the asteroids, which was amazing by the way, I watched the recording when I woke up, and I was so sleep deprived that I’d forgotten how to talk, but I have all my motor functions back and you’re not steering us away from certain death anymore, so this seems like a really good time to ask you if you want to get married?”

For a few seconds Krejjh could only blink at him, which was just long enough for Brian’s nervous-but-hopeful expression to become a just-nervous-very-nervous expression. “And I don’t want you to feel like this is it, you have to answer now, and if you say no we can’t hang out anymore and one of us has to leave the ship, because I’d still really like to hang out with you even if you say no, because you’re, like, my favorite person, and I’m really sorry if I’m springing it on you but I’m happy to explain my reasoning—”

“I’m pretty sure I get your reasoning, Crewman Jeeter.” Now that the shock had passed, Krejjh couldn't help but laugh out loud in pure delight. "Yeah, yeah I do want to get married to you. That sounds pretty ideal, actually." And because Krejjh was nothing if not smooth-but-also-diligent, they remembered to engage autopilot before kissing their brand new fiancé. “But, uh... isn’t that kinda illegal?”

Brian laughed softly, his arms warm and solid around Krejjh. “I’d say that brings it in line with most of our major decisions.”


End file.
